LDA City scam: Paragon City, Alpha played brokers’ role: CJP

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday directed the Punjab minister for housing, the chief secretary and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to come up with a plan to compensate affectees of the LDA-City Housing Scheme.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing complaints of people who purchased files of the LDA-City but never got plots or their money back.

The chief justice observed that all bureaucrats and heads of developer companies would have been jailed if the hard earned money of widows and orphans had not been involved in this case. He said the owners of Paragon City, Alpha and other companies had become brokers in the whole episode.

The legal advisor of the LDA told the bench that the development partners/companies were willing to acquire and hand over the remaining land to the authority in two to three years. He pointed out that the development companies had sold 9,000 extra files, therefore, 20,000-Kanal more land was required to allot plots to the affectees. He said the LDA had been provided 19,000 Kanals by the companies but it was scattered. He said Phase-I of the scheme could be completed if 5,000-Kanal more land was given to the LDA. However, he said the LDA wanted the companies to complete the task at the earliest.

The chief justice directed the LDA to cancel the agreement if the companies fail to provide the required land within one year. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the other member on the bench, observed why the LDA didn’t complete the project itself as it would restore confidence in people.